Visit by the controller

The controller visited today, before I rivet on the skins. After a few adjustments to some rivets that were not squized enough, everything was OK. I think I will order a pneaumatic squizer from Avery tomorrow, or at least before I start with the wing spar.

Primed the HS skins

Primed the HS skins and touched up some on the VS spar.

Trimmed and deburred the HS skins

Trimmed the LE and tip of the hs skins. Deburred all holes. The HS is finally ready for priming and riveting.

Fixing the HS-406

Adjusted the fabricated tips slightly and drilled them on. This clearly shows the original HS-406 being about 1/2 inch too short. The only thing missing now is that the dimension on the drawing is wrong and should be 10 1/2 inch instead of 11....

These tips probably will not do much structurally, but they certainly holds the tip of the HS better in place. When primed and riveted on, the whole thing looks better as well.

HS-406 fix

Made two HS-406 tips that will be riveted on to the original HS-406. The HS-406 is too small, about 1/2 inch (see earlier posts), so the flanges on the tip will be cut back, and the new tips will be rivited in place about 1/2 inch more fwd. It has (according to Van's) no structural consequence to leave the forward part of the rib unriveted, but it will not look good. Do to the fixtures in the jig, I have to take the skeleton out to have room for the tools to fasten the rib fixes.

Trimmed the skins according to plans.

Both HS skins drilled

Both skins are drilled, and look good. Since I already had holes drilled in the skeleton, the method used was:

• Fit and clamp the skins (adjust to get 11" at tip and correct overhang)
• Use the (homemade) holefinder at the TE.
• Unclamp at one side, bend the skin up if needed and use the 6" drill for the middle rib.
• Take the other side of the rib, by clamping/unclamping the other side.
• Holefinder at root/tip up to the senter spar.
• Unclamp/6" drill for the spar.
• Holefinder for the rest, except 407 which was new and drilled the ordinary way.

Not at all difficult, but time consuming and I needed a second pair of hands to hold back the skin and insert clecos when drilling with the 6" drill from the inside.

One HS skin ready

Finished drilling one of the skins. Started fitting the other.

HS Skin, hole duplicators

After lots of fiddling I started drilling on one of the new HS skin. I use hole duplicators for the edges and a long 6" drill for the internals. It is a timeconsuming process, first some edges with hole duplicators, then some internals by bending up the skin on one side and so on, and the skin must be clamped real good. I hope it turns out OK.

The 6" hole duplicator from Avery (or was it Aircraft Tools Supply) is too long for most of the holes. I therefore made a small one myself from a stainless steel ruler, one m6 bolt and a 3/32 rivet that is epoxied on. It works perfectly.

Stiffeners on rudder, new HS skins

Today the new skins for the HS came, only 6 days after telling Van's about the errors. The new ones are better, and will fit, but they are not perfect. It is impossible to make the HS according to the drawings with them, there will be at least 2-4/16 of an inch wrong. In my opinion Van's should do one of two things:

1. Make them right.
2. Make them oversize so the trailing edge has to be trimmed.

Back riveted the rudder stiffeners to the rudder skin. (It is strange how my camera insist on making the Strontium Chromate green, when it is yellow)